Efforts to push the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) into serving Salina continue as a new month arrives.

Scheduled flights to Denver that were to begin taking off from Salina Regional Airport on April 1 are on hold for now.

“The TSA has a $7.5 billion dollar budget and they cannot find $375 thousand dollars annually to screen passengers in Salina Kansas,” Tim Rogers, Executive Director of the Salina Airport Authority told KSAL News this week.

“Something is wrong with this picture and this response from TSA.”

Officials with Great Lakes Airlines learned shortly after agreeing to return to Salina as the essential air service carrier in February, that the TSA cited budget concerns as the reason they would not provide screening services at Salina’s terminal.

In addition to Salina, the TSA has denied screening services at small airports in California, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

A Kansas Congressional delegation is working together to find a legislative fix to fund and require the TSA to meet its obligation to provide the same standard of screening services at small airports as provided at hub airports.

Senator Pat Roberts, Senator Jerry Moran and Congressman Tim Huelskamp have added their names to the TSA Fairness Act as cosponsors.

Versions of the amendment have been approved by U.S. Senate and House committees.

Great Lakes Airlines is based in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Denver and boasts a fleet of 30-seat turbo prop aircraft with a stand up cabin, flight attendant and lavatory on board.